First Death
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「Nox」
Rank: Awakened
Mythmaker (4/4)
> Struggle
> Slice
> Rain
> Extend
Relics: Last Light, Beak of Yonder
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Boom!
A teenager with pitch-black hair crashed into a giant tree. Cloaked in a blanket of rain, he seemed to be frantically trying to escape from something.
The darkness around the boy wrapped around his shivering body, camofluaging him into the forest.
Fallen trees mingled with muddy water, covering the boy with a musty scent.
Not a moment later, a streak of energy pierced through the terrain, leaving behind a scorched crater.
Nox shuddered at the force of the attack, further diving into the comforts of the night.
Suddenly, he clenched his head as he wobbled over. Since waking up, he had found himself in a unfamiliar place.
At first, he thought he was still back at the Challenge, but a dive into his consciousness disproved the theory.
[You have survived the First Challenge!]
[Your rank : 1]
[You have completed 4 Hidden Missions.]
[Calculating rewards…]
[You have suffered a fatal blow.]
[You have died.]
Somehow, the other Nox had managed to conquer the First Challenge, but also perished in the process.
He could still feel the remnants of his predecessor inside him, but it was extremely faint.
'So I guess I'm dead?'
"Come out, dead one."
A robotic voice echoed through the forest, getting closer with each approaching second.
'Keeper of the Forest', coined by Nox, was the entity that had been chasing him ever since he woke up. Levitating above the dirty floor, the monster was like a guardian.
It's entire body was covered in an ancient metal with strange writing, possessing the ability to seemingly reflect attacks.
Of course, he found out the hard way. The surrounding was covered in fallen branches and broken rocks from their previous encounter.
Not to mention…
Another beam of energy shook the earth as it blasted apart a large boulder.
Out of the corner of his eyes, the Mythmaker saw a glimpse of light. It was coming.
Focusing on his consciousness again, he tried to summon Opal. An invisible force repeled his mind once more, cutting off his only weapon. That was an issue.
Without a sword, he was unable to use Slice.
Perhaps noticing the wisps of energy, the figure turned around, slowly floating towards where Nox was.
"Come out." The Guardian repeated, this time much louder.
Seeing the reflection of the beast through a nearby puddle, he clenched his teeth.
'I'll have to strike first.'
A blade of water manifested itself from the puddle as the Mythmaker lept out.
'Extend.'
Through some testing of his Divinity when first waking up, he understood the gist of his new abilities.
The weapon shook, and extended towards the armored guardian.
Ding!
Bouncing off the metal exterior, Nox widened his eyes as it launched a fist in his direction.
"Eliminate." It buzzed, turning towards him.
「You have encountered the Guardian of this Challenge.」
'Guardian? Am I still in the Challenge?'
Still trying to process the message, he raised his arms. His Divinity activated once more, pulling in the nearby water and wrapping it around the monster.
The Mythmaker dove into the world of strings, trying to utilize his newly earned abilities. The liquid manifested into crudely made chains, holding the Guardian onto the ground.
A beam of energy swiftly put an end to his strategy as it easily blasted through the barrier. Then, the robot froze.
The ancient writing on his armor lit up, shining a brilliant red. Lighting up the entire forest, the boy felt an immense amount of energy being gathered in one spot.
Half captivated and half terrified of the sight, Nox decided to take the opportunity to escape.
However, the red glow tore apart the surrounding shadows, leaving him with nothing to use but the muddy puddles around them.
Then… it happened.
With a deafening roar, the Guardian unleashed a massive shockwave of searing heat, throwing Nox tumbling through the air. The hairs on his body burnt off instantly as he was left writhing in pain.
Sweat poured down his entire body as his vision started to blur.
Worst of all, the heat evaporated all the nearby water.
[The Mythmaker is writing a Myth…]
[Even in death, the Last Light of Humanity was unable to find peace. Now faced against the guardian of the Underworld, the boy must use his wits to overcome yet another challenge.]
You are harder to kill.
Ignoring the vague message, he barely had time to move as the beast approached his location.
'Struggle.'
His injuries slowly began to heal as the boy barely managed to dodge another incoming fist.
Thinking quickly, the Mythmaker used the sweat on his body, managing to form a tiny dagger.
Power surged through his body as he swung the makeshift weapon. Now with a larger supply of energy, the liquid was able to condense much further than before, giving the blade a more solid structure.
However, just like last time, it helplessly bounced off the ancient metal.
"Target's threat level determined to be 1. Commencing elimination." The monster beeped, disappearing from his sight.
'Where is he-'
Suddenly, he was lifted off the ground from behind. A powerful metal arm wrapped around his neck and squeezed, instantly crushing his vocal chords.
The boy stared into the lifeless eyes of the entity as the other limb moved… and slammed into his skull.
[You have suffered a fatal blow.]
[You have died.]
A fragment inside your consciousness is resonating.
「You have received Divinity: Undying (Temporary)」
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A boy woke up in a dark forest. He toppled over, clenching his head in pain.
Nox looked around to find himself in a dark swamp, filled with dead trees and puddles of muddy brown water.
For some reason, he couldn't help but feel that something was off.
Even though the Mythmaker had just regained consciousness, he felt as if he had already been here before.
In the distance, a large humanoid robot emerged from the ground. Slowly, it opened his eyes and observed the surroundings.
An intruder has arrived.
"Where are you, dead one?"